Fuel assembly

ABSTRACT

Disclosed embodiments include fuel ducts, fuel assemblies, methods of making fuel ducts, methods of making a fuel assembly, and methods of using a fuel assembly. In one implementation, the fuel ducts have a first hollow structure having a first cross-sectional geometry and a second hollow structure positioned within the first hollow structure, the second hollow structure having a second cross-sectional geometry different from the first cross-sectional geometry.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/794,604 filed Mar. 11, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No.______, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/747,064, filed Dec. 28, 2012, all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present patent application relates to fuel assemblies and methodsrelated to same.

SUMMARY

Disclosed embodiments include fuel ducts, fuel assemblies, methods ofmaking and using same.

The foregoing is a summary and thus may contain simplifications,generalizations, inclusions, and/or omissions of detail; consequently,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary isillustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Inaddition to any illustrative aspects, embodiments, and featuresdescribed herein, further aspects, embodiments, and features will becomeapparent by reference to the drawings and the following detaileddescription. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the devicesand/or processes and/or other subject matter described herein willbecome apparent in the teachings set forth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The skilled artisan will understand that the drawings primarily are forillustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of theinventive subject matter described herein. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale; in some instances, various aspects of theinventive subject matter disclosed herein may be shown exaggerated orenlarged in the drawings to facilitate an understanding of differentfeatures. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer tolike features (e.g., functionally similar and/or structurally similarelements).

FIGS. 1a and 1b provide partial-cutaway perspective views in schematicform of an illustrative (a) nuclear fuel assembly and (b) fuel elementin one exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 2a and 2b provide schematics showing the pressure distribution andswelling behavior of a fuel assembly in a nuclear reactor in oneexemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 3a and 3b provide schematics showing a hex-duct and a dodecaduct,respectively, configuration in a fuel assembly in one exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 4 provides a schematic showing a multi-walled duct design of a fuelassembly in one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 provides a schematic showing internal structural members used astensioning devices in the interior of a duct in one exemplaryembodiment.

FIGS. 6a through 6d illustrate several variations of a multi-walled ductdesign, with an inner hollow structure and an outer hollow structure(and structural members in some instances) in a fuel assembly in oneexemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 7a through 7d illustrate the various embodiments of penetrationsin the first and/or second hollow structures of the fuel assembly in oneexemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 8a and 8b through 8d , respectively, provide a flow chart of aprocess of making a fuel duct of the fuel assembly and illustrativedetails of the process in one exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 9a and 9b through 9e , respectively, provide a flow chart of aprocess of making a fuel duct of the fuel assembly and illustrativedetails of the process in one exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 10a and 10b , respectively, provide a flow chart describing theprocess involved in a method of using the fuel assemblies describedherein and illustrative details of the process in one exemplaryembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Introduction

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, theuse of similar or the same symbols in different drawings typicallyindicates similar or identical items, unless context dictates otherwise.

The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description,drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments maybe utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from thespirit or scope of the subject matter presented here.

One skilled in the art will recognize that the herein describedcomponents (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and the discussionaccompanying them are used as examples for the sake of conceptualclarity and that various configuration modifications are contemplated.Consequently, as used herein, the specific exemplars set forth and theaccompanying discussion are intended to be representative of their moregeneral classes. In general, use of any specific exemplar is intended tobe representative of its class, and the non-inclusion of specificcomponents (e.g., operations), devices, and objects should not be takenas limiting.

The present application uses formal outline headings for clarity ofpresentation. However, it is to be understood that the outline headingsare for presentation purposes, and that different types of subjectmatter may be discussed throughout the application (e.g.,device(s)/structure(s) may be described under process(es)/operationsheading(s) and/or process(es)/operations may be discussed understructure(s)/process(es) headings; and/or descriptions of single topicsmay span two or more topic headings). Hence, the use of the formaloutline headings is not intended to be in any way limiting.

Overview

By way of overview, provided in one embodiment is a fuel assembly, thefuel assembly comprising: a fuel duct, including: a first hollowstructure having a first cross-sectional geometry, and a second hollowstructure having a second cross-sectional geometry, the second hollowstructure disposed exterior to the first hollow structure, and thesecond cross-sectional geometry being different from the firstcross-sectional geometry.

Provided in another embodiment is a fuel assembly, the fuel assemblycomprising: a fuel duct, including: a first hollow structure having atleast one dimension that is changeable under stress, and a second hollowstructure disposed exterior to the first hollow structure, the firsthollow structure and the second hollow structure defining a spacetherebetween; the second hollow structure being adapted to distributetherethrough at least a portion of the stress of the first hollowstructure.

Provided in another embodiment is a fuel assembly, the fuel assemblycomprising: a fuel, a plurality of fuel elements, and a plurality offuel ducts having the plurality of fuel elements disposed therein, atleast one of the plurality of the fuel ducts including: a first hollowstructure having a first cross-sectional geometry, and a second hollowstructure having a second cross-sectional geometry, the second hollowstructure disposed exterior to the first hollow structure, and thesecond cross-sectional geometry being different from the firstcross-sectional geometry.

Provided in another embodiment is a method of making a fuel assembly,the method comprising: forming a first hollow structure adapted tochange at least one dimension thereof under stress and a second hollowstructure adapted to distribute therethrough at least a portion of thestress of the first hollow structure; disposing the first hollowstructure interior to the second hollow structure to form a fuel ductsuch that a space is defined between the first hollow structure and thesecond hollow structure.

Provided in another embodiment is a method of making a fuel assembly,comprising: forming a first hollow structure having a firstcross-sectional geometry; forming a second hollow structure having asecond cross-sectional geometry that is different from the firstcross-sectional geometry; and disposing the first hollow structureinterior to the second hollow structure to form a fuel duct.

Provided in another embodiment is a method of using a fuel assembly,comprising: generating heat with a plurality of fuel elements disposedwithin a first hollow structure, the first hollow structure beingdisposed within a second hollow structure; subjecting the first hollowstructure to stress; and distributing the stress of the first hollowstructure through the second hollow structure.

Fuel Assembly

FIG. 1a provides a partial illustration of a nuclear fuel assembly 10 inaccordance with one embodiment. The fuel assembly may be a fissilenuclear fuel assembly or a fertile nuclear fuel assembly. The assemblymay include fuel elements (or “fuel rods” or “fuel pins”) 11. FIG. 1bprovides a partial illustration of a fuel element 11 in accordance withone embodiment. As shown in this embodiment, the fuel element 11 mayinclude a cladding material 13, a fuel 14, and, in some instances, atleast one gap 15.

A fuel may be sealed within a cavity by the exterior cladding material13. In some instances, the multiple fuel materials may be stackedaxially as shown in FIG. 1b , but this need not be the case. Forexample, a fuel element 11 may contain only one fuel material. In oneembodiment, gap(s) 15 may be present between the fuel material 11 andthe cladding material 13, though gap(s) need not be present. In oneembodiment, the gap 15 is filled with a pressurized atmosphere, such asa pressured helium atmosphere.

A fuel may contain any fissionable material. A fissionable material maycontain a metal and/or metal alloy. In one embodiment, the fuel may be ametal fuel. It can be appreciated that metal fuel may offer relativelyhigh heavy metal loadings and excellent neutron economy, which isdesirable for breed-and-burn process of a nuclear fission reactor.Depending on the application, fuel may include at least one elementchosen from U, Th, Am, Np, and Pu. The term “element” as represented bya chemical symbol herein may refer to one that is found in the PeriodicTable—this is not to be confused with the “element” of a “fuel element.”In one embodiment, the fuel may include at least about 90 wt % U—e.g.,at least 95 wt %, 98 wt %, 99 wt %, 99.5 wt %, 99.9 wt %, 99.99 wt %, orhigher of U. The fuel may further include a refractory material, whichmay include at least one element chosen from Nb, Mo, Ta, W, Re, Zr, V,Ti, Cr, Ru, Rh, Os, Ir, and Hf. In one embodiment, the fuel may includeadditional burnable poisons, such as boron, gadolinium, or indium. Inone embodiment, the interior of the first hollow structure of the fuelduct may include a plurality of fuel elements.

In one embodiment, the metal fuel may be alloyed with about 3 wt % toabout 10 wt % zirconium to dimensionally stabilize the alloy duringirradiation and to inhibit low-temperature eutectic and corrosion damageof the cladding. A sodium thermal bond fills the gap that exists betweenthe alloy fuel and the inner wall of the clad tube to allow for fuelswelling and to provide efficient heat transfer, which may keep the fueltemperatures low. In one embodiment, individual fuel elements 11 mayhave a thin wire 12 (FIG. 1a ) from about 0.8 mm diameter to about 1.6mm diameter helically wrapped around the circumference of the cladtubing to provide coolant space and mechanical separation of individualfuel elements 11. In one embodiment, the cladding 13 and/or wire wrap 12may be fabricated from ferritic-martensitic steel because of itsirradiation performance as indicated by a body of empirical data.

Fuel Element

A “fuel element”, such as element 11 shown in FIGS. 1a-1b , in a fuelassembly of a power generating reactor, may generally take the form of acylindrical rod. The fuel element 11 may be a part of a power generatingreactor, which is a part of a nuclear power plant. Depending on theapplication, the fuel element may have any suitable dimensions withrespect to its length and diameter. The fuel element may include acladding layer 13 and a fuel 14 disposed interior to the cladding layer13. In the case of a nuclear reactor, the fuel may contain (or be) anuclear fuel. In one embodiment, the nuclear fuel may be an annularnuclear fuel. The fuel element may additionally include a liner disposedbetween the nuclear fuel 14 and the cladding layer 13. The liner maycontain multiple layers.

The fuel may have any geometry. In one embodiment, the fuel has anannular geometry. In such an embodiment, a fuel in an annular form mayallow a desirable level of fuel density to be achieved after a certainlevel of burn-up. Also, such an annular configuration may maintaincompressive forces between the fuel and the cladding to promote thermaltransport. The fuel may be tailored to have various properties,depending on the application. For example, the fuel may have any levelof density. In one embodiment, it is desirable to have a high density offuel, such as one as close to theoretical density uranium (in the caseof a fuel containing uranium) as possible. In another embodiment, havinga high porosity (low density) may prevent formation of additionalinternal voids during irradiation, decreasing fuel pressure onstructural material, such as cladding, during operation of the nuclearfuel.

The cladding material for the cladding layer 13 may include any suitablematerial, depending on the application. In one embodiment, the claddinglayer 13 may include at least one material chosen from a metal, a metalalloy, and a ceramic. In one embodiment, the cladding layer 13 maycontain a refractory material, such as a refractory metal including atleast one element chosen from Nb, Mo, Ta, W, Re, Zr, V, Ti, Cr, Ru, Rh,Os, Ir, Nd, and Hf. In another embodiment, the cladding material may bechosen from a ceramic material, such as silicon carbide or aluminumoxide (alumina).

A metal alloy in cladding layer 13 may be, in one exemplary embodiment,steel. The steel may be chosen from an austenitic steel, aferritic-martensitic steel, an oxide-dispersed steel, T91 steel, T92steel, HT9 steel, 316 steel, and 304 steel. The steel may have any typeof microstructure. For example, the steel may include at least one of amartensite phase, a ferrite phase, and an austenite phase. In oneembodiment, substantially all of the steel has at least one phase chosenfrom a martensite phase, a ferrite phase, and an austenite phase.Depending on the application, the microstructure may be tailored to havea particular phase (or phases). The cladding layer 13 may include aniron-based composition as described below.

At least some of the components of the fuel elements may be bonded. Thebonding may be physical (e.g., mechanical) or chemical. In oneembodiment, the nuclear fuel and the cladding are mechanically bonded.In one embodiment, the first layer and the second layer are mechanicallybonded.

Stress Distribution

In one aspect, the various structural components of the fuel assemblydescribed herein may work together to distribute stress. The stress mayrefer to bending stress, tensile stress, axial stress, compressivestress, hoop stress, or combinations thereof. The stress may arise fromthe interior of the fuel assembly, such as the pressure of the gasand/or coolant in the interior of the duct, which gas has a tendency tocreate a pressure pushing outward.

Referring to FIGS. 2a-2b , a pressure differential between the interior21 and exterior 22 of a fuel duct 20 may create a driving force thatcauses the wall of the fuel duct 20 to stretch—i.e., to be in tension.The pressure differential may drive both thermally induced creep andradiation induced creep (see FIG. 2a vs. FIG. 2b for non-creepingstructure and creeping structure, respectively) in a pre-existing ductdesign. Bulk swelling of structural materials in region 23 in nuclearreactors may also occur. The swelling may be independent of coolantpressure and can lead to bending stresses within the assembly structure.A further component of internal stress can be due to swelling of thefuel element bundles, which may also exert force on the assembly walls.

Referring to FIG. 3a , current assemblies, such as those used in liquidmetal cooled fast reactors, use a single walled, hexagonal fuel duct 31to house wire-wrapped fuel elements. One current method to limitdistortion is to make thicker walled hex-ducts. However, this mayincrease the ratio of structural material to fuel within a reactor core,decreasing a reactor's neutron economy and increasing the cost andweight of the assembly. Ducts with 12-sides have also been considered incurrent designs, shown as fuel duct 32 in FIG. 3b . Twelve-sided ducts32 have a decreased side length and increased side-to-side internalangle. Such a design decreases the bending stress in the duct andtherefore decreases the distortion. However, configuration of these12-sided assemblies into their most compact lattice configuration(dodeca-cell packing as opposed to hex-cell packing; see FIG. 3b ) mayleave interstitial spaces 301, which need to be filled with coolant orfuel. In the former case, the ratio of coolant to fuel increases. In thelatter case, multiple assembly types are needed for the reactor,increasing costs and fuel management complexity. Thus, none of thesecurrent approaches is desirable. The fuel assemblies described hereinovercome these challenges.

Fuel Duct Configuration

Another aspect of the embodiments described herein is related to astructural component of a fuel assembly or the assembly itself. Forexample, one embodiment is related to a fuel duct of or for a fuelassembly. Referring to FIG. 4, a fuel duct in accordance with oneembodiment may include a first hollow structure 401 having a firstcross-sectional geometry and a second hollow structure 402 having asecond cross-sectional geometry. The second hollow structure 402 may bedisposed exterior or interior to the first hollow structure—FIG. 4illustrates the former scenario. In one embodiment, the secondcross-sectional geometry is different from the first cross-sectionalgeometry. In another embodiment, the second cross-sectional geometry isat least substantially the same as the first cross-sectional geometry.“Substantially the same” geometry in one embodiment herein may refer tothe same geometry but with very small variations, such as a (slightly)blunt edge (instead of a sharp edge) or a side including at least somecurvature. In another embodiment, the second cross-sectional geometry isthe same as the first cross-sectional geometry.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., herein merely denoteseparate entities, and the order of these entities may be changed. Thus,the association between the numbers and the entities are not limiting.In some embodiments, the hollow structure may be referred to as a“duct,” as that in a “multi-ducted” configuration.

The term “geometry” herein may refer to the shape and/or size of amaterial. For example, the structure described herein may have across-sectional area having a shape including (or of) a polygon having aplurality of sides (or edges), a circle, or an irregular shape. Apolygon may be a triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon,heptagon, octagon, enneagon, decagon, hendecagon, dodecagon, tridecagon,tetradecagon, pentadecagon, or other geometries having more sides. Acircular cross-sectional area herein may also refer to an ellipticalcross-sectional area. Thus, depending on the cross-sectional area, thestructure in a three-dimensional sense may be a cube (or more sides),cylinder, etc.

In some embodiments, the interior (relative to the second structure)first hollow structure and the exterior (relative to the firststructure) second hollow structure may each include a polygon as theirrespective cross-sectional geometries. In one embodiment, the firstcross-sectional geometry may include a polygon having more sides thanthe second cross-sectional geometry. In another embodiment, firstcross-sectional geometry may include a polygon having the same number ofsides as the second cross-sectional geometry. In another embodiment, thefirst cross-sectional geometry may include a polygon having fewer sidesthan the second cross-sectional geometry.

In the case wherein the first and the second hollow structures havepolygonal cross-sectional areas, the areas may have any of theaforementioned polygonal geometries. In one embodiment, the firstcross-sectional geometry may include a dodecagon. In one embodiment, thesecond cross-sectional geometry may include a hexagon. In one embodimentwhere the first cross-sectional geometry may include a polygon havingmore sides than the second cross-sectional geometry, the firstcross-sectional geometry may include a dodecagon and the secondcross-sectional geometry may include a hexagon. In an alternativeembodiment, the first cross-sectional geometry may include an octagonand the second cross-sectional geometry may include a square. In anotherembodiment, the first cross-sectional geometry may include a circle andthe second cross-sectional geometry may include an octagon. In analternative embodiment, the first cross-sectional geometry may include apolygon having fewer sides than the second cross-sectionalgeometry—e.g., the first cross-sectional geometry includes a hexagon andthe second cross-sectional geometry includes an octagon.

The hollow structures of the fuel assembly may have the same thicknessor different thicknesses. The thickness need not be limited to anyparticular value and may vary depending on the application. For example,the thickness of the first hollow structure and/or the second hollowstructure may be between about 0.1 mm and about 20 mm—e.g., betweenabout 0.2 mm and about 15 mm, between about 0.3 mm and about 10 mm,between about 0.5 mm and about 5 mm, between 1 mm and about 3 mm, etc.The thickness of the first and/or second hollow structures may beuniform along the circumference of their respective cross-sectionalgeometries, though it need not be. In one embodiment, the at least oneof the first hollow structure and the second hollow structure has a wallthickness varying along at least a portion of the respectivecircumferences of the first and second cross-sectional geometries. Insome embodiments, a change in the thickness along a side or multiplesides may result in a change of curvature. As a result, as describedabove, a polygon with varying thicknesses and/or curvature along itsdifferent sides may become not a hexagon but be still substantially thesame as a polygon geometry. The change of thickness and/or curvature maybe optimized for different purposes—e.g., dilation performance.

The hollow structures of the fuel assembly may have the same chemicalcomposition or different chemical compositions. In some embodiments, thefirst and/or second hollow structures may include at least one materialchosen from a Zr-based alloy, a Fe-based alloy, a ceramic, a refractorymetal, a refractory alloy, and a composite material. The ceramic may bea carbide (e.g., silicon carbide), nitride, oxynitride, etc. Forexample, the first and/or second hollow structures may include aFe-based alloy, including steel. The steel may be chosen from at leastone of ferritic steel, martensitic steel, ferritic martensitic steel,and non-ferritic steel. Other materials that are suitable in a radiationenvironment may be used.

As shown in FIG. 4, an interior space 411 of the first hollow structuremay be sealed from outside of the first hollow structure. In oneembodiment, space 411 in the sealed inner first hollow structure maycontain at least one coolant in the interior space. The coolant may bedisposed in a space 412 defined between the first hollow structure andthe second hollow structure. In one embodiment, the inner first hollowstructure is sealed such that it is full of coolant or contains a fluidor material that is distinct from the coolant. The fluid may be onehaving desirable neutron properties—e.g., multiplying, absorbing, oreffectively transparent to radiation. In one embodiment, the interiorspace 411 may be substantially empty, such that any neutronic effect maybe minimized. In another embodiment, the interior space 411 of the firsthollow structure is substantially free of coolant. The space 411 mayalso be used to house instruments for both testing within the reactorand observation of normal and non-normal operating conditions, as wellas devices to control the reactor, or to provide desired reactivityfeedback, as described above. Alternatively, the interior may be exposedto the outside of the first hollow structure. The interior space 411 ofthe first hollow structure may be empty or may include certainmaterials. For example, at least one coolant may be disposed in theinterior of the first hollow structure. The coolant may be any suitablecoolant, depending on the application. For example, the coolant mayinclude sodium.

The space 412 defined by the first hollow structure and the secondhollow structure may be empty; alternatively, additional elements may bepresent in the space. The space 412 may be defined by an outer wall 413of the first hollow structure and an inner wall 414 of the second hollowstructure. For example, in the space 412 may be a coolant, which may beany of the aforedescribed coolants. Alternatively or additionally, inthe space 412 there may be at least one structural member asaforedescribed. In another embodiment, in the space 412 there may be atleast one instrument, which may be configured to test, observe andprovide feedback regarding operation conditions (e.g., of the fuelassembly). The instrument may be the same as or different from thatemployed in the interior space of the hollow structure as describedabove.

In one embodiment, in the fuel duct the first hollow structure may haveat least one dimension that is changeable under stress. Depending on thegeometry of the first hollow structure, the dimension may refer towidth, length, diameter, etc. The change in dimension may refer to, forexample, expansion thereof. In one embodiment, the second hollowstructure is adapted to distribute therethrough at least a portion ofthe stress of the first hollow structure.

The first hollow structure may be adapted to expand radially outwardsunder stress such that at least a portion of the first hollow structurephysically contacts the second hollow structure. In some cases,expansion need not happen. For example, the first hollow structure maysubstantially maintain at least one of its dimensions (such as all ofits dimensions) and geometry under stress. In one embodiment, the firsthollow structure is adapted to change at least one dimension thereofunder stress; and the second hollow structure is adapted to distributeat least some of the stress of the first hollow structure. In anotherembodiment, the first hollow structure does not change its dimensionand/or geometry under stress, and yet the second hollow structure maydistribute at least some of the stress. The second hollow structure maydistribute at least some of the stress of the first structure with aminimal amount of change (such as no change) of its dimension and/orgeometry. In one embodiment, the second hollow structure is configuredto substantially maintain at least one of its dimensions (such as alldimensions) and geometry during distribution therethrough of the stressof the first hollow structure.

When the first hollow structure is not subjected to any stress,particularly that arising from the pressure in the interior thereof, thefirst hollow structure need not be in physical contact with the secondexterior hollow structure (as shown in FIG. 4), although it may be. Inone embodiment, when under stress the first hollow structure may beadapted to expand outwards until at least a portion thereof is inphysical contact with the second hollow structure to distribute thestress. The second hollow structure may be designed and/or configured todistribute the stress without having to change its dimension and/orgeometry. In one embodiment, the stress may be (but need not be)uniformly distributed among the different sides of the second hollowstructure.

Structural Members

Referring to FIG. 5, the interior 503 of the first hollow structure 501may include structural member(s) 502. The interior of a first hollowstructure space 503 may also be compartmentalized, such ascompartmentalized axially. In one embodiment, the axialcompartmentalization may be accomplished with a reflector below the fuelcolumn, a void along the length of the fuel column, then coolant abovethe fluid column. The structural members 502 may be positioned in anyway that suits the purpose of the application. For example, a structuralmember 502 may couple to a point of a first side of the inner firsthollow structure to a point of a second side opposite to the first side,as shown in FIG. 5. The point may be any point on the side, such as amid-point. In one embodiment, a structural member 502 may couple to onecorner (instead of to a side) of the first hollow structure to anothercorner (not shown). The term “couple to” herein may refer to being incontact, such as physical contact (e.g., mechanical coupling). In someother embodiments, the contact may refer to other types of contacts,such as thermal contact, electrical contact, etc. For example, two itemsbeing coupled to each other in one embodiment may refer to these twoitems being connected to each other by physical contact either directlyor indirectly (via a third item).

These structural members 502 in the interior of the first hollowstructure 501 may be (or act as) tensioning structural members. In oneembodiment, the outward force due to coolant internal pressure may be atleast partially balanced by tension within these internal structuralmembers as shown in FIG. 5. As a result, this configuration may reducethe distortion of the outer hollow structure (or “duct”) by decreasingboth normal and bending stresses.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first hollow structure 401and the second hollow structure 402 may be spaced apart from each otherby a space 412 and not in contact with each other at all. In otherwords, the first hollow structure 401 and the second hollow structure402 define a space 412 therebetween in this embodiment. Alternatively,at least a portion of the first hollow structure may be coupled to aportion of the second hollow structure. For example, referring to FIG.6a , the first hollow structure 601 and second hollow structure 602 maycontain space 612 therebetween, while the two structures 601, 602 are incontact with one another.

These structural members may be the same or different from the internalstructural members in the interior of some first inner hollow structureas described above. FIG. 6b provides an illustration of a fuel ducthaving a plurality of structural members 603 in the space 612 betweenthe inner hollow structure 601 and the outer hollow structure 602 in oneembodiment. In this embodiment, the structural members each couples at apoint on a side of (an outer wall of) the inner hollow structure to an(inner) corner of the outer hollow structure. The point may be amid-point or may be anywhere on the side. The structural member may beplaced perpendicularly to the side (as shown in FIG. 6b ) but need notbe. For example, the structural member may be placed at an angle.

At least one instrument may be disposed in the interior of the firsthollow structure. The instrument(s) may be configured to perform atleast one function chosen from testing, observing, and providingfeedback regarding operation conditions. The conditions may refer to theconditions of any portion of the fuel assembly, including the fuel ductor any portion thereof. The instrument may include a device, such as asensor device. The instrument may alternatively include a reflector. Inone embodiment, the instrument may include a reactivity feedback device,a control element, or both. For example, the instrument may include acontrol-rod device, a lithium expansion module (LEM), an absorptioninsertion module (AIM), gas expansion module (GEM), etc.

The contact may be accomplished by the sides of the first and secondhollow structures being in physical contact (FIG. 6a ) and/or viaseparate structural components 603 (FIGS. 6b-6d ). In the latter, thetwo hollow structures may be coupled to each other via their sides(FIGS. 6b-6c ) or solely by connecting by at least one structural member(FIG. 6d ). Structural members need not be present on all sides orcorners of the hollow structures, though they may be. As shown in, forexample, FIGS. 6c-6d , only some of the sides and corners are connectedby structural members. The structural member may include (or be), forexample, a strut. The structural members may be disposed in the spacedefined between the first hollow structure and the second hollowstructure and physically coupling the first hollow structure and thesecond structure.

Structural members are not always needed. For example, in oneembodiment, structural members between the inner and outer hollowstructures may be removed to remove substantially all tensile stresseson the outer hollow structure. In one embodiment, the outer hollowstructure may be engineered to accommodate dimensional changes due tovoid swelling, so that the spaces between fuel assemblies are minimized.In some embodiments, the inner and outer hollow structures may share atleast one common face (or side if viewed in one-dimension), as shown inFIGS. 6a -6 c.

The structural member may be made of, or include, any suitablematerials. For example, the structural member may be chosen from atleast one of a metal, metal alloy, ceramic, and polymer. The structuralmember may include the same composition as or different composition fromthe first and/or second hollow structure. Depending on the size of thespace between the first and the second hollow structures, the structuralmembers may be of various sizes. For example, the structural member mayhave a diameter that is smaller than, the same as, or greater than thatof the thickness of the first and/or second hollow structure.

Penetrations

The first hollow structure and/or the second hollow structure mayinclude penetrations to allow fluid (e.g., coolants) to flow tofacilitate removal of heat to maintain thermal conditions. For example,in an example where the fuel assembly is compartmentalized axially,penetrations may allow a coolant to enter the space above the fuelcolumn between the first and second hollow structures. Any of theboundaries of these compartments may be designed to have a change inproperties in response to some external condition. For example, one canhave fusible plugs that allow a voided space to become filled withcoolant or other material if a certain temperature is exceeded.

FIGS. 7a-7d illustrate different phenomena associated with havingpenetrations in the inner duct 710 and/or outer duct 720. FIG. 7aprovides an illustration of the pressure profile in one embodiment. FIG.7b illustrates the bypass of fueled region 702 by coolant through the‘voided’ portion 701 of the duct; this may take place when additionalstatic pressure is needed outside of the inner portion of the assemblyto distribute stress. FIG. 7c illustrates bypass of the above-fueledregion 703 by coolant through the voided portion of duct; theabove-fueled portion may produce significantly less heat so that thecoolant flow rate through the middle of the channel may be reduced. FIG.7c illustrates bypass of fueled region by coolant through the voidedportion of duct with flow back into region above the fuel. FIG. 7dillustrates that coolant flow may be bypassed around the fueled regionby letting some fluid escape from the assembly completely. A load pad730 is also shown in FIG. 7d . This can be done to increase staticpressure around the entirety of the ducts (in a case where there aremultiple fuel assemblies). Flow exiting the assembly will have tosqueeze between neighboring ducts which increases pressure, as shown inFIG. 7 d.

Power Generation

As described above, the fuel assemblies described herein may be a partof a power or energy generator, which may be a part of a powergenerating plant. The fuel assembly may be a nuclear fuel assembly. Inone embodiment, the fuel assembly may include a fuel, a plurality offuel elements, and a plurality of fuel ducts, such as those describedabove. The fuel ducts may include the plurality of fuel elementsdisposed therein.

At least some of the fuel assemblies described herein may includeinterstitial spaces among the plurality of the fuel ducts. Theinterstitial spaces may be defined as the space between the plurality ofthe fuel ducts. At least one of a coolant, inert gas, fuel material, anda monitoring device can be disposed in at least some of theseinterstitial spaces. The interstitial spaces may be empty or may includecertain materials. For example, in the interstitial spaces may be atleast one of a coolant, inert gas, and fuel material. The coolant and/orfuel material may be any of those described above. An inert gas may beany of those known in the art—e.g., nitrogen, a noble gas (e.g., argon,helium, etc). In some embodiments, the interstitial spaces may includean instrument, such as any of those described above that may be presentin the interior of the first hollow structure or the space between thefirst and second hollow structure. In one embodiment, the instrument isa monitoring device monitoring the operation conditions of the fuelassembly.

The fuel assembly described herein may be adapted to produce a peakareal power density of at least about 50 MW/m²—e.g., at least about 60MW/m², about 70 MW/m², about 80 MW/m², about 90 MW/m², about 100 MW/m²,or higher. In some embodiments, the fuel assembly may be subjected toradiation damage at a level of at least about 120 displacements per atom(“DPA”)—e.g., at least about 150 DPA, about 160 DPA, about 180 DPA,about 200 DPA, or higher.

Method of Making or Using Fuel Assembly

In another aspect, a method of making an article of a fuel assembly isprovided. The fuel assembly may be any of the aforedescribed fuelassemblies, including fuel ducts, fuel assemblies, and the like. FIG. 8aprovides a flow chart of a process of making a fuel duct of the fuelassembly in one illustrative embodiment. The method may include forminga first hollow structure (step 801), which may be adapted to change atleast one dimension thereof under stress, and forming a second hollowstructure (step 802), which may be adapted to distribute therethrough atleast a portion of the stress of the first hollow structure; anddisposing the first hollow structure interior to the second hollowstructure to form a fuel duct (step 803) such that a space is definedbetween the first hollow structure and the second hollow structure.Referring to FIG. 8b , the process may further comprise coupling thefirst hollow structure to the second hollow structure, such as with atleast one structural member (step 804). Referring to FIG. 8c , theprocess may further comprise forming the first and/or second hollowstructure by forming metal sheets into a polygonal shape an closing thepolygonal shape (step 805). Referring to FIG. 8d , the process offorming may further comprise at least one process chosen from extrudingand pilgering (step 806). In some embodiments, at least one of the firstand second hollow structures may already be pre-formed and thus onlyneeds to be provided to undergo a disposing process, which may alsoinclude assembling different hollow structures.

FIG. 9a provides a flow chart of an alternative process of making a fuelduct of the fuel assembly in one illustrative embodiment. The method mayinclude forming a first hollow structure (step 901), which may beadapted to change at least one dimension thereof under stress, andforming a second hollow structure (step 902), which may be adapted todistribute therethrough at least a portion of the stress of the firsthollow structure; and disposing the first hollow structure interior tothe second hollow structure to form a fuel duct (step 903) such that aspace is defined between the first hollow structure and the secondhollow structure. Referring to FIG. 9b , the process may furthercomprise joining a portion of the first hollow structure to the secondhollow structure, such as with at least one structural member (step904). Referring to FIG. 9c , the process may further comprisecompartmentalizing axially an interior of the first hollow structure(step 905), as will be described further below. Referring to FIG. 9d ,the process may further comprise forming the first and/or second hollowstructure by extruding and/or pilgering (step 906). Alternatively (oradditionally), referring to FIG. 9e , the process may further compriseforming the first and/or second hollow structure by forming metal sheetsinto a polygonal shape and closing the polygonal shape (step 907).

The process of forming may involve any techniques available to formstructural materials, including hollow structural materials. Forexample, the process of forming may include a process chosen from atleast one of extruding and pilgering. Pilgering may refer to ametal-working process for reducing at least one dimension of ametal-containing tubular structure. In some embodiments, the process offorming may include forming metal sheets into a polygonal (tubular)shape—the term “tube” is employed here merely to describe athree-dimensional structure, and not necessarily a circular cylinder.The process may further comprise at least one of closing the polygonaltube by welding a seam, riveting, forming a seam and tack welding,forming a seam and isostatically compressing the seam and diffusionbonding.

The process of forming may further include providing at least onestructural member coupling a portion of the first hollow structure to aportion of the second hollow structure (step 804). The structural membermay be any of those described above. In some embodiments, the process offorming may further comprise joining a first portion of the first hollowstructure and a second portion of the second hollow structure. Thejoining may be carried out with at least one structural member. In oneembodiment, the joining process need not involve welding the at leastone structural member axially with respect to the first portion and thesecond portion. For example, the assembly may be fitted with a keepertype device or a guide. In one embodiment, the inner hollow structuremay be sled into the outer hollow structure.

The fuel assemblies described herein may be used to generate power, suchas in a nuclear reactor core in a nuclear plant. The power may refer toelectrical power, thermal power, radiation power, etc. FIG. 10(a)provides a flow chart describing the process involved in a method ofusing the fuel assemblies described herein in one illustrativeembodiment. In one aspect, the method of using a fuel assembly describedherein may include generating energy (e.g., heat) with a plurality offuel elements disposed within a first hollow structure (step 1001), thefirst hollow structure being disposed within a second hollow structure;subjecting the first hollow structure to stress (step 1002); anddistributing the stress of the first hollow structure through the secondhollow structure (step 1003). Referring to FIG. 10(b), the method mayfurther comprise allowing a portion of the first hollow structure tocontact physically a portion of the second hollow structure (step 1004).

The fuel assemblies may be any of those aforedescribed. For example, thesecond hollow structure may be configured to substantially maintain atleast one of its dimension and geometry during distribution therethroughof the stress of the first hollow structure. In one embodiment, thesecond hollow structure may be configured to change at least one of itsdimension and geometry during distribution therethrough of the stress ofthe first hollow structure. In one embodiment, the plurality of fuelelements may include fuel material that includes at least one of uraniumand plutonium.

All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications,U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applicationsand non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/orlisted in any Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety, to the extent not inconsistent herewith. Inthe event that one or more of the incorporated literature and similarmaterials differs from or contradicts this application, including butnot limited to defined terms, term usage, described techniques, or thelike, this application controls.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singularterms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from theplural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations are not expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures may beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable,” to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents, and/or wirelessly interactable, and/or wirelesslyinteracting components, and/or logically interacting, and/or logicallyinteractable components.

In some instances, one or more components may be referred to herein as“configured to,” “configured by,” “configurable to,” “operable/operativeto,” “adapted/adaptable,” “able to,” “conformable/conformed to,” etc.Those skilled in the art will recognize that such terms (e.g.“configured to”) can generally encompass active-state components and/orinactive-state components and/or standby-state components, unlesscontext requires otherwise.

While particular aspects of the present subject matter described hereinhave been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modificationsmay be made without departing from the subject matter described hereinand its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are toencompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as arewithin the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein.It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, termsused herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of theappended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to claims containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a conventionanalogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in generalsuch a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the artwould understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one ofA, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have Aalone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where aconvention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, ingeneral such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill inthe art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at leastone of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that haveA alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be furtherunderstood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive wordand/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in thedescription, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplatethe possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, orboth terms unless context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase “Aor B” will be typically understood to include the possibilities of “A”or “B” or “A and B.”

With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art willappreciate that recited operations therein may generally be performed inany order. Also, although various operational flows are presented in asequence(s), it should be understood that the various operations may beperformed in other orders than those which are illustrated, or may beperformed concurrently. Examples of such alternate orderings may includeoverlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental,preparatory, supplemental, simultaneous, reverse, or other variantorderings, unless context dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms like“responsive to,” “related to,” or other past-tense adjectives aregenerally not intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictatesotherwise.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specificexemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies arerepresentative of more general processes and/or devices and/ortechnologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filedherewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, otheraspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes ofillustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scopeand spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Any portion of the processes described herein may be automated. Theautomation may be accomplished by involving at least one computer. Theautomation may be executed by program that is stored in at least onenon-transitory computer readable medium. The medium may be, for example,a CD, DVD, USB, hard drive, etc. The selection of the hollow structures,including the assembly, may also be optimized by using the computerand/or a software program.

The above-described embodiments of the invention can be implemented inany of numerous ways. For example, some embodiments may be implementedusing hardware, software or a combination thereof. When any aspect of anembodiment is implemented at least in part in software, the softwarecode can be executed on any suitable processor or collection ofprocessors, whether provided in a single computer or distributed amongmultiple computers.

Also, the technology described herein may be embodied as a method, ofwhich at least one example has been provided. The acts performed as partof the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly,embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in any orderdifferent from that illustrated, which may include performing some actssimultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrativeembodiments.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood tocontrol over dictionary definitions, definitions in documentsincorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the definedterms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in thespecification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in theclaims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements soconjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some casesand disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with“and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” ofthe elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be presentother than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause,whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when usedin conjunction with open-ended language such as “including” can refer,in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other thanB); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionallyincluding other elements); etc.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should beunderstood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. Forexample, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall beinterpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, butalso including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and,optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated tothe contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when usedin the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactlyone element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or”as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusivealternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded byterms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or“exactly one of” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims,shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “atleast one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) canrefer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including morethan one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements otherthan B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally includingmore than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionallyincluding more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including morethan one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

Any ranges cited herein are inclusive. The terms “substantially” and“about” used throughout this Specification are used to describe andaccount for small fluctuations. For example, they can refer to less thanor equal to ±5%, such as less than or equal to ±2%, such as less than orequal to ±1%, such as less than or equal to ±0.5%, such as less than orequal to ±0.2%, such as less than or equal to ±0.1%, such as less thanor equal to ±0.05%.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitionalphrases such as “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,”“involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understoodto be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only thetransitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, asset forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent ExaminingProcedures, Section 2111.03.

The claims should not be read as limited to the described order orelements unless stated to that effect. It should be understood thatvarious changes in form and detail may be made by one of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims. All embodiments that come within the spirit and scope of thefollowing claims and equivalents thereto are claimed.

What is claimed:
 1. A method of making a fuel duct, comprising: forminga first hollow structure having a first cross-sectional geometry byextruding or pilgering; forming a second hollow structure having asecond cross-sectional geometry different from the first cross-sectionalgeometry by extruding or pilgering; and disposing the first hollowstructure interior to the second hollow structure to form a fuel duct.2. The method of claim 1, wherein extruding comprises extruding a metalsheet, forming the metal sheet into a polygonal shape and closing thepolygonal shape.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein extruding comprisesextruding the first cross-sectional geometry of the first hollowstructure.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein extruding comprisesextruding the second cross-sectional geometry of the second hollowstructure.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising joining aportion of the first hollow structure and a portion of the second hollowstructure.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein joining a portion of thefirst hollow structure and a portion of the second hollow structurecomprises joining a side of the first hollow structure to a side of thesecond hollow structure.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein joining aportion of the first hollow structure and a portion of the second hollowstructure comprises joining a side of the first hollow structure to acorner of the second hollow structure via a structural member.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising compartmentalizing axially aninterior of the first hollow structure.
 9. A method of making a fuelduct, comprising: providing a first hollow structure having a firstcross-sectional geometry configured to expand in at least one dimensionunder stress; and providing a second hollow structure having a secondcross-sectional geometry different than the first cross-sectionalgeometry external to and around the first hollow structure to form afuel duct such that a space is defined between the first hollowstructure and the second hollow structure, the second cross-sectionalgeometry configured to distribute therethrough at least a portion of thestress of the first hollow structure.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinproviding includes forming metal sheets into a polygonal shape andclosing the polygonal shape by welding a seam, riveting, forming a seamand tack welding, forming a seam and isostatically compressing the seam,or diffusion bonding.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein providingincludes forming by extruding or pilgering.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein extruding comprises extruding a metal sheet, forming the metalsheet into a polygonal shape and closing the polygonal shape.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, wherein extruding comprises extruding the firstcross-sectional geometry of the first hollow structure.
 14. The methodof claim 11, wherein extruding comprises extruding the secondcross-sectional geometry of the second hollow structure.
 15. The methodof claim 9, further comprising coupling the first hollow structure tothe second hollow structure with at least one structural member.
 16. Amethod of making a fuel duct, comprising: providing a first hollowstructure having a first polygonal cross-sectional geometry; providing asecond hollow structure having a second polygonal cross-sectionalgeometry different than the first polygonal cross-sectional geometry;and placing the first hollow structure internal to the second hollowstructure with a portion of the first hollow structure in physicalcontact with the second structure in order for the second hollowstructure to distribute therethrough at least a portion of stress causedby expansion of the first hollow structure.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein providing a first hollow structure comprises extruding orpilgering the first hollow structure.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein providing a second hollow structure comprises extruding orpilgering the second hollow structure.
 19. The method of claim 16,wherein placing the first hollow structure internal to the second hollowstructure with a portion of the first hollow structure in physicalcontact with the second structure comprising contacting a side wall ofthe first hollow structure with a side wall of the second hollowstructure.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein placing the first hollowstructure internal to the second hollow structure with a portion of thefirst hollow structure in physical contact with the second structurecomprising placing a structural member connecting a side wall of thefirst hollow structure with a corner of the second hollow structure.